Below is a list of some of the more common tasks that a database
administrator may be expected to perform.
In real life, for any given position, a DBA may
be required to do more or fewer tasks than those listed here.
[ Information obtained from an Education Testing Services survey
(used to develop the Oracle certification exam), as reported in
"Oracle Datavase Administration: The Essential Reference"
(Oracle7/Oracle8 edition), by D. Kreines and B. Laskey,
©1999 O'Reilly and Associates. Other sources were used for
the education and database standards sections. ]
- Database architecture and Options
- Understand the parts of an Oracle instance.
These include the memory structures and processes.
- Understand both the logical and physical structures
of an Oracle database.
- Understand PL/SQL (including functions, procedures,
packages, triggers, cursors, ...).
- Understand different database system architectures,
such as distributed, partitioned, replicated, and client-server.
- Understand locking issues.
- Security
- Create, alter, and drop users and roles.
- Monitor and audit database access.
- Develop, implement, and manage a security strategy
(or security policy), including use of users, roles, priveleges,
and authentication.
- Understand how distributed processing affects security.
- Data Administration
- Manage integrity constraints.
- Implement the physical database from the logical design.
- Evaluate the use of stored procedures, triggers, and constraints
to implement business rules.
- Backup and Recovery
- Understand and evaluate the various backup options
available.
- Develop backup and recovery strategies.
- Manage the implementation of backup and recovery procedures.
- Recover a database.
- Software Maintenance and Operations
- Install and upgrade Oracle and supporting products.
- Configure an Oracle instance using the initialization
parameters.
- Configure and Manage SQL*NET.
- Understand startup and shutdown options and procedures.
- Create a database.
- Understand the underlying operating system capabilities
as they relate to the Oracle database.
- Resource Management
- Create and manage indexes.
- Understand the use and implementation of clusters
(and hash clusters).
- Allocate and manage physical storage structures
(datafiles, redo logs, control files).
- Allocate and manage logical storage structures
(tablespaces, schemas, extents, ...).
- Manage system resource use by defining proper profiles.
- Perform capacity planning.
- Tuning and Troubleshooting
- Diagnose and resolve locking conflicts.
- Use data dictionary tables and views.
- Monitor a database instance.
- Collect and analyze relevant database performance
information.
- Identify and implement appropriate solutions for
database proformance problems.
- Know how to use vendor support services
when necessary.
- Identify and solve SQL*Net problems.
- Education
- Disseminate Oracle information to developers, users,
and management when appropriate.
- Train backup DBAs, application developers, and
other appropriate staff.
- Attend training classes, technical conferences, and
user group meetings (to stay abreast of the latest developments).
- Subscribe to and read trade journals such as
Oracle Magazine.
- Subscribe to and participate in Internet discussion (news) groups
and mailing lists.
- Database Standards
- Define, document, and maintain database standards
for your organization.
- Develop naming conventions for everything, including
SQS*Net files, table names, index names, procedure names, etc.
- Write and distribute procedures for tasks that must
be performed frequently.
- Define database documentation standards.
- Compile a DBA handbook for your oganization, of all
the documentation on customized code, procdedures, and standards.
Keep as current as possible.